Electric insulator.



UNITEDv STATES. APATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. FAY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI7 AND SYLVESTER B. WAY, 0F MILWAUKEE,

WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC INSULATOR.

To all whom it may concern;

-SYLvEs'rER B. VAY, citizens of the United States, and residing, respectively, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and city of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Insulators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Iforming part of this specificati-on, in which- Figure l is a detail view illustrating my improved insulator' in position. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through our improved insulator. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in electric insulators designed particularly for use in supporting line wire conductors conveying electricity at high potcntial. c

Our improvement is designed particularly to avoid the flash over incident to the transmission of energy at high voltages and may be used alone or in conjunction with a -v series of insulators arranged in tandem and back of the bell is burned on its upper side.

results.

The static charge on the conductor produces an ionization of the air in the immediate vicinity of the insulators with the result that the metal portions ofthe insulator are surcharged with electricity and when a disturbing iniuence is present, such as a. ground, sudden change of heav load, out of balance disturbances and the like, the ash over During the flash over period, the air forms a c0nducting vapor,the dynamic current then flows from the line through the ionized air to the metal parts of the insu- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 1913.

Serial No. 750,223.

i lator attached to the tower. The result of the dynamic current is to produce, an intense rise in temperature at the contact point of the arc, fusing the porcelain insulator between the metal cap on one side of the insulator and the metal part on the in-l side of the insulator, carrying metal with it in its path, thereby reducing the insulator to a point where it is of no value as such. The several disks constituting the insulation of the insulator unit may all be broken down. successively which will result in rendering the transmission line inoperative. It is the purpose of our invention to avoid this difficulty by providing means whereby a circulation of air will be induced to dissipate the heat produced by the discharges and sparking, and also to eliminate the ionized or partially broken down air produced by the presence of electrical stress caused vy oscillation and vibration of charging current, and by so doing, minimize the conditions which we believe are the im mediate cause of flash overs. It is 'lso our purpose to provide an insulator which will not be injuredV by Hash overs and PatentedAug. 11, 1914.

which will perform the dual function of will consume a part of the disruptive force of the power arc whichrma'y follow the flash over and thereby minimize the probability of such arc causing break downs in other disks; and leave in circuit,yin'case other disks do break down, an insulator which will not be damaged incident to the most vicious flash over, and which will enable the`line to be operated at least temporarily after normal electric conditions have been restored on the, line.

In the drawings, we have illustrated a form of insulator in which 1 is the hook or\` suspension member to which the line wire may be connected. This hook is embedded in a mass of porcelain 2, having an outstanding flange 3 constituting the insulation disk.

4 is the metal cup embracing the hub of the porcelain disk, said hub having an eye or other means for the attachment of the hook of the adjacent insulator if two or more insulators are employed.

5 is a metallic disk of any desired shape, that shown in the drawing being bell shaped with its lower portion cut away as at 6.

This metal shield is attached to the cup e before referred to, in any suitable manner, and preferably at its marginal edge radially removed Jfrom the insulation disk as shown. 7 is a corresponding metallic disk or shield which is secured to the hook l and preferably spaced apart from the shield 5 as shown. By this construction, it will be observed that heating of either of the disks 5 or 7 -will'induce a current of air to flow up 7ardly between them so that the cireu loting air will have a tendency to cool the disk; and that furthermore, the circulating air will tend to reduce the ionization of the air around the insulating disk because ot the constant displacement oi' the ionized air. ln connecting line Wire @nto hook l, it is common practice to .make use oi What is geneally known as a dead end l connection, and provide a path around the insulator units by means of a loop 9 which produces an abrupt turn in the line conductor. lt is uell known that such a turn in an electric conductor transmitting electric energy at high potential introduces a certain amount ol impedance and introduces in the conductor a point at which the tendency for the current to leave the conductor is increased. @lo obviate this, we employ a shunted connection l0 which eliminates the abrupt change in the direction of the conductor at the point of attachment to insulator.

The current passes through the metal or line Wire d which terminates in what is known as a dead, end l by its connection to the hook l. liicretolire., the connecting line 'Wire i) l as been attached to the wire o at its point o' connection to the hook.` ln our construction, we prciier use a supplemental by-pass Wire lOL connected to the Wire 8, and `also to the Wire 9, so as to oiler a straighter path -for the current and in this manner avoid the abrupt turn at the connection between the Wires Band 9. By doing` this, We believe that the tendency to Lflashing over 'will be minimize l.

lin operation, the static ele wricity will charge the shield 7 and b5 virtue ci its proximity to the shield 5 will 'jump across the air space between the tuo shields. 'ifhe heat generated in the shields by such sparkmgi,Vv and by the sun will induce a current ot air between the shields and the ionized air will be carried away. By removing' the ionized air,l the tendency to iash over "is reduced, and consequently, the value of the disk as an insulator is increased. Furthermore, We believe that Where a current oi? air is -induced between the shields that the tendency to sparking is also reduced.

The insulation disk, as shown in is preferably provided with a series of concentric depressions in its faces for the pur4 ,pose ot incraasino1 the leakage sui-tace tor ideare? electricity over or across the tacos of the disk.

TWhat We claim is:

l. Am electric insulator carryingn a suspension member for supporting a conductor and provided with means for inducing circulationjof air around the insulator,said means includingI a heat radiatingr member adapted tor electrical connection with the conductor.

2. [in electric insulator comprising attachin means and an interposed insulating disk, and metal shields insulated from each other disposed at the sides oli said disk, said shields being' spaced Vfrom the disk and from nach other to provide inlet and outlet openings for ciiiculating' air curr Jin electric insulator comprisingI attaching means, an interposed insulating` disk.I and metallic elements arranged on each side of said. disk and partially inclosing the same, the disposal ot said metallic elements alii'ording an outlet opening above the disk.

4i. An electric insulator comprisim;` at caching means, an interposed insulation disk, and bell shaped metal shields on each side oit' the disk which are spaced therefrom and from each other, said shields being,l cut away at their lower portions.

5. ,an insulator comprising;n the combination of an insulating1 member, a support ing member for the same, a suspension mem bei' carried by said insulatingn member 'for sustaining an electrical conduct-or, a shield attached to said suspension member and partially inclosing the 'insulating member,

a complementary shield also partially mclosiug the insulating1 member, said shields beine; insulated from each other and being termed to provide considerable inlet opening adjacent the lower portion of the insulating member and outlet openings at the sides and above said insulating; member, said.

openings providing passages yfor the circulation ot' air to and from said insulating member.

o. in insulator comprising' an insulating member, a supporting member and a suspension member attached to said insulatingy member, and electri ly conductive shield members spaced apart Jfrom the insulating; member and disposed so as to trl oit heat to the air si'u'roundiug said insulating mem-` ber, the disposal ot said shield members being such as to attord inlet and outlet passages so disposed as to direct air currents across said insulating,-y member upon the heating o" said disk members.

Y. lin insulator comprising an insulating member, a sustaining .member attached to said insulating member and adapted to sustain an electrical conductor, a supporting member attached to said insulatingn member and comprisingA 'means fory suspending,r the insulator, I.a shield capable oit receiving; a

static charge attached to said suspension 

